Terrorism's Hook Into Your Inbox

Want an extreme example of what can happen to your personal and financial information if you fall for a phishing scam? Check out my story, published on washingtonpost.com today, which follows the trail of a woman's stolen personal data back to three young men in the United Kingdom who were sentenced to prison for inciting murder through an online terrorism network.

A few stats from the piece: The trio stole more than 37,000 credit card numbers, racking up in excess of $3.5 million in fraudulent charges and purchases, including hundreds of prepaid cell phones, and more than 250 airline tickets using 110 different credit cards at 46 airlines and travel agencies. The men also allegedly laundered money through online gambling sites -- using accounts set up with stolen credit card numbers and victims' identities -- running up thousand-dollar tabs at sites like AbsolutePoker.com, BetFair.com, BetonBet.com, Canbet.com, Eurobet.com, NoblePoker.com and ParadisePoker.com, among others. All told, the men conducted 350 transactions at 43 different online wagering sites, using more than 130 compromised credit card accounts.